Mr Malco Posted November 20, 2023 Share Posted November 20, 2023 Is anyone using Unique with 7/8oz of shot for light loads Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted November 20, 2023 Share Posted November 20, 2023 @The Original Lumpy Gritz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 Posted November 20, 2023 Share Posted November 20, 2023 Unique not well suited to 7/8 or lighter 12 gauge loads. Just needs to be pushing against a heavier payload. Can be done, but about 30% more expensive and lots dirtier than a powder like TiteWad or ExtraLite. good luck, GJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted November 21, 2023 Share Posted November 21, 2023 1 hour ago, Sedalia Dave said: @The Original Lumpy Gritz 1 hour ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said: Unique not well suited to 7/8 or lighter 12 gauge loads. Just needs to be pushing against a heavier payload. Can be done, but about 30% more expensive and lots dirtier than a powder like TiteWad or ExtraLite. good luck, GJ I load 17.0 gn of Unique using 3/4-1 1/8oz of shot in 12ga. It works just great and the lighter shot load has less felt recoil than WW Featherlite. You can load every caliber used in SASS with Unique. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cholla Posted November 21, 2023 Share Posted November 21, 2023 3 hours ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said: I load 17.0 gn of Unique using 3/4-1 1/8oz of shot in 12ga. It works just great and the lighter shot load has less felt recoil than WW Featherlite. You can load every caliber used in SASS with Unique. I finally found some Unique at Sportsman’s Warehouse for $45 a pound. I bought two. I went to Cal Ranch and they had is for $49 per pound! Ouch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene, SASS # 27489 Posted November 21, 2023 Share Posted November 21, 2023 When Alliant finally started shipping powder again earlier this year, the prices were great at a LGS. But then they told me that Alliant powder was going to go up 30% the next month, so I stocked up before that. And yeah, the prices (when they have it) are now really high! But I could still buy WST for $31/lb, so guess what I'm using in the shotgun? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted November 21, 2023 Share Posted November 21, 2023 8 hours ago, Cholla said: I finally found some Unique at Sportsman’s Warehouse for $45 a pound. I bought two. I went to Cal Ranch and they had is for $49 per pound! Ouch! Glad I stocked up in 2019 before we moved. I still have 12+ lbs of Unique. Prices across the board are NUTZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Meadows,SASS#28485L Posted November 21, 2023 Share Posted November 21, 2023 During the pandemic I found 16 lbs of Unique. For the last couple years I've been shooting 14 grains with a 1oz load. It has taken everything down and clean up is no problem. This load is very comparable to AA featherweights. What little unburned powder is left pushes right out. J.M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Art Tillery Posted November 21, 2023 Share Posted November 21, 2023 12 hours ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said: I load 17.0 gn of Unique using 3/4-1 1/8oz of shot in 12ga. It works just great and the lighter shot load has less felt recoil than WW Featherlite. You can load every caliber used in SASS with Unique. I am pretty sure you own stock in Alliant .. Most specifically the Unique Line! I have been trying to find some to load forever, just can't seem to find it yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoss Posted November 21, 2023 Share Posted November 21, 2023 I’m starting g to sweat my unique stash. I’m down to my last 8lb jug. Have seen any for sale at any price for a while. It’s a very versatile powder! I’ve heard the reason it is so scarce is that it is used in the big military howitzer rounds, and they’ve been sending a lot of it to Russia (via Ukraine ) hopefully it will start showing up again. I use it in 45-70 38-55 30-40 Krag 7.5 X 55 Swiss 44 mag it also goes good on grits & eggs (that’s for you Lumpy ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Maverick Posted November 21, 2023 Share Posted November 21, 2023 2 hours ago, Hoss said: I’m starting g to sweat my unique stash. I’m down to my last 8lb jug. Have seen any for sale at any price for a while. It’s a very versatile powder! I’ve heard the reason it is so scarce is that it is used in the big military howitzer rounds, and they’ve been sending a lot of it to Russia (via Ukraine ) hopefully it will start showing up again. I use it in 45-70 38-55 30-40 Krag 7.5 X 55 Swiss 44 mag it also goes good on grits & eggs (tests for you Lumpy ) Just don't smoke after breakfast for awhile. TM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long Fingers, SASS#56813 Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 I was gifted an old can of unique from the mid 80’s. Used it up when my nephew started shooting a couple years ago. Loaded 17.5 grains, grey 7/8 wad with 1oz shot, AA hull. Lite load, worked great for him starting out. Like others said I found it to be really dirty in his 97. LF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
"Big Boston" Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 On 11/20/2023 at 4:54 PM, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said: Unique not well suited to 7/8 or lighter 12 gauge loads. Just needs to be pushing against a heavier payload. Can be done, but about 30% more expensive and lots dirtier than a powder like TiteWad or ExtraLite. good luck, GJ That pretty much sums up Unique and light 12 ga loads. Yes, it will produce a load that feels light, but it's not really in the zone. I'm no expert, but I have done a bit of research and loaded a few different light loads. One of the issues or nuances of finding a light load is finding data to follow. Not following data puts you in the "Mad Scientist" arena and that can be a bit of a challenge. a good source of data is with the subsonic crowd. Subsonic is as it sounds, the ammunition is below the speed of sound. The speed of sound is dependent on the ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure or altitude. but for arguments sake it's about 1100 fps. When a load is subsonic the ejecta does not break the sound barrier. Therefore at the muzzle, no sonic boom and the accompanying added recoil. Sounds to me like the zone I'd like to be with my loads. Ballistic products, the curmudgeon, is a decent source of data. Now for a bit of ballistic theory as I understand it. A shotgun shell has a maximum operating pressure of about 12,000 psi. Sort of a hold over from the old drams equivalent black powder days, and the fact that is the designed operating pressure of most shotguns. The thing is that by loading down the likelihood of exceeding that pressure are slim. However if the pressure gets too low, the hull will have not seal the off the chamber as it is designed to do, which leads to leakage back into the action and into your face. The other nuance is that lots of powders do not burn clean at lower pressures. Unique, HS6 and several others get real dirty at low(ish) pressures. If you are the personality type that needs a number, my theory is that things start to go south below 6,000 psi. IOW, at below about half pressure, things start to go awry. I have a long list of failures, but one powder that does seem to work well at about 1100 fps is Clays. Unfortunately Clays is probably discontinued. I have about 1/2 cup left, and another powder of interest for me is 700X. The old IMR handout data books have data for 1100 fps and up in 50 fps increments. I just use AA wads, and adjust the wad for the proper crimp by placing cardboard cards in the bottom. One ounce loads are easier to load, in that it is easier to get the proper clean burn and 1100 fps than with 7/8 oz. https://www.ballisticproducts.com/Brochure-Subsonic-Loads/productinfo/00BSUB/ Winchester used to sell Super-Lite powder, specifically for 980 fps loads of 26 grams (.9 oz) of lead shot. WSL is no longer available, although Winchester still sells the loaded ammunition. 00BSUB.pdf BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.